3 Video Marketing Tips For Your Startup

We live in a world where video marketing and media consumption happens faster than we know how to keep up. Our attention spans are short, and our desire for content perfection is something none of us can escape.

With all of this visual pressure working against bootstrapped entrepreneurs, it can be daunting to consider creating online video for your startup.

Unfortunately for the introverts in most of us, creating video marketing content for your startup isn’t just a “fancy option” anymore; it’s almost an unwritten requirement.

Why Video Marketing Works

People are lazy. They don’t want to read anymore; not when they’re being bombarded with more visual stimuli than one person can handle in a lifetime.

Your startup can satisfy this demand by creating “interview-style” videos. This is where a person sits in front of a camera and talks directly to the audience.

Interview-style videos are best used for your landing pages, tutorial pages, and blogs. They allow potential customers to connect with you on a deeper level than just a “solution to their problems.”

Topics for Your Videos

When creating interview-style video content, consider covering:

What your startup does to educate potential customers

How your solution can change their lives

Updates for vLogging and keeping customers up to speed

Three Video Marketing Tips You Can Use Right Now

1. Shoot In HD

When shooting your videos, ANY device that can record HD video is acceptable. And yes, the “video chat” camera on your laptop or smartphone is more than acceptable. If you’re bootstrapping, this means you don’t have to go out and purchase a $3,000 camera to make great videos.

PRO TIP: For optimal video quality, make sure that you turn on as many lights as you can to brighten up your subject. If you don’t happen to have a 3-point light kit nonchalantly laying around, try grabbing a lamp and placing it in front of your subject. The quality will blow you away.

2. ALWAYS Mic Up Your Talent

If you want to stand out from 90% of the other startups making video marketing content, this tip alone will help you shine.

First off; NO, the microphone built into your iPhone or camera will NEVER be good enough to use. Not when you’re trying to create quality interview videos.

60% of our attention subconsciously judges video by its sound quality. If your viewers have trouble understanding what the speaker is saying, your videos (and company) will come off amateurish.

To avoid this, buy a cheap lavaliere microphone that clips onto the a shirt or tie. This mic can be connected to your camera or an external audio recorder and will let you to capture the best sound possible.

PRO TIP: If you DO end up recording your audio and video separately, use a simple tool like DreamSync to automatically synchronize and optimize your audio and video together after shooting.

From there, I’ll add a quick fact about why video marketing is important, and then go into the 3 video marketing secrets that I promised in the beginning.

PRO TIP: Always try to keep the total length of your videos right around 2 minutes. Anything more than 2 minutes is a commitment that most viewers don’t usually make.

Jon Acosta is a professional video producer, public speaker, and tech entrepreneur who is obsessed with automating everything. His main goal is to provide affordable solutions and knowledge for small businesses to tell their stories visually. Acosta is also co-founder of Corda App, LLC, a lead-retrieval solutions company that aims to eliminate business cards. Free tutorials, startup tips, and a full course on video marketing SEO for your business can be found at Acosta’s site: Jonathanacosta.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @thejonacosta.